Non-contact IC cards are used at automatic ticket gates for ski-lifts, railroads and the like, for automatic load sorting, and the like. FIG. 13 shows one example of conventional, non-contact IC cards. An IC card 2 shown in FIG. 13 is a single-coil IC card comprised of a coil 4 used as an antenna, capacitors C1, C2, and an IC chip 8.
Capacitors C1, C2 and IC chip 8 are mounted to a substrate of synthetic resin in the form of a film. The substrate with capacitors C1, C2 and IC chip 8 mounted thereto is referred to as a tape automated bonding (TAB) 10.
FIG. 14A is a cross section of IC card 2. A core member 12 of synthetic resin is sandwiched between paired surface members 14 and 16. TAB 10 with capacitors C1, C2 and IC chip 8 mounted thereto is fixed to surface member 14 exposed in a hollow portion 18 provided in core member 12. A portion binding TAB 10 and IC chip 8 together is covered with a sealing member 9 of epoxy resin or the like.
Coil 4 is arranged between surface member 14 and core member 12. Coil 4 and TAB 10 are connected together by a wire 20.
FIG. 14B is a circuit diagram of IC card 2. In IC card 2, an electromagnetic wave sent from a reader/writer (not shown) is received at a resonance circuit 22 comprised of coil 4 and capacitor C1 and is used as a power source. It should be noted that capacitor C2 is a power smoothing capacitor.
Furthermore, a control unit (not shown) provided in IC chip 8 interprets information superposed on the electromagnetic wave to provide a response to the information. The response is provided by varying an impedance of resonance circuit 22. The reader/writer appreciates the response by detecting an impedance variation (or impedance reflection) of the reader/writer's resonance circuit (not shown) that is associated with the impedance variation of resonance circuit 22 of IC card 2.
Thus IC card 2 is dispensed with a power supply therein and can also provide non-contact communication of information.
However, the above conventional IC card has the following disadvantages. In IC card 2, coil 2 and TAB 10 must be connected together by wire 20.
IC card 2 is often put into a purse, a pocket of pants and the like so that it can receive considerably strong bending, twisting and pressing forces. IC card 2 shown in FIG. 14A is, however, not sufficiently thick, having a thickness t of a standard dimension. Thus IC card 2 does not have so large rigidity against bending, twisting and pressing forces. Accordingly IC card 2 is flexed significantly when it receives intense bending force or the like. When IC card 2 is thus flexed, wire 20 can be cut off or wire 20 can be disconnected from coil 4 or TAB 10. Wire 20 and coil 4 or TAB 10 can also be mutually connected unsatisfactorily in the operation to connect them together.
Furthermore, the position of TAB 10 is limited in order to ensure the space for coil 4. Thus, arranging TAB 10 at a position which suffers significant flexure, can sometimes not be avoided. As a result, IC chip 8 will also be deformed significantly. Such deformation cracks IC chip 8 and thus degrades the function of the IC card.
Thus conventional IC cards are difficult to handle and are not reliable.
Furthermore, the necessity of connecting coil 4 and TAB 10 together by wire 20 also results in cumbersome fabrication of the card and increases the cost or manufacturing the card. Furthermore, the necessity of mounting capacitors C1, C2 and the like to TAB 10 further increases the cost for manufacturing the card.
A first object of the present invention is therefore to provide a circuit chip mounted card which is reliable and reduces the cost for manufacturing the same.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a circuit chip module which is reliable and reduces the cost for manufacturing the same.